Fertilizer.



- 1 E-s, PATENT OFFICE.

memes a. HILLIAJBJ), on storm crry, IOWA.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

- FERTILIZER.

1,128,446, Specification of Letters Patent. No Drawing. Application filed December .12, 1912. I Serial No. 736,251.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. I-In-mmm), a citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Fertilizers; and I do hereby declare the following-to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in-.

vention,'such as will enable others skilled in.

the art to which it appertains 'to make and use the same. 1

This invention relates to fertilizers, and it more particularly relates to the combination of certain fertilizing elements with a suitable base or vehicle.

An object of the invention is to incorporate certain fertilizing elements in such a vehicle that the said elements will be deposited gradually and regularly into the soil.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fertilizer which will lighten the soil.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fertilizer of this character, the base or vehicle of which is subjected to gradual decomposition, and in which the composite elements are of a soil enriching nature;

In carrying this invention into effect, I preferably employ saw dust or the like as the base or vehicle; although, obviously, I may employ more or less finel divided wood, bark or woody material 0 a suitable kind.

It is also obvious that, instead of relying en-' tirely on the residue 0 saw mills, from which saw dust may be obtained, I may repare or divide any suitable kind of woo into any suitable granules or divisions, and by any suitable means.)

The kinds and percentages of fertilizer elements employed will depend upon the nature of the land to be treated by thefertilizer; but, let it be assumed that the fertilizer is to contain the ordinary percentages of ammonia, potash, hosphorus, etc.; these chemicals are prefera lymixed or. combined in solution in large vats or receivers, and the finely divided granules of wood are preferably denuded of the greater percentage of their moisture, and are then thoroughly incorporated by stirring or otherwise submerging until'the pores thereof have become thorou hly saturated with the liquid mixture. nd while still wet with the fertilizing chemicals, these wood granules may be mixed with a suitable proportion of bone dust, lime, plaster, guano, or other powdered fertilizing material, so that the mass is thereby reduced to a comparatively dry state, whereupon it may be put into bags for transportation.

The advantages of a fertilizer compound of this character are as follows: First, the saw dust or woody granular vehicle is an improved substitute for sand and other earthy materials, such .as have heretofore been employed as a vehicle; because such earthy materials have little, if any, fertilizing value,lwhile woody material is known to possess fertilizing qualities; second, this woody base or vehicle is comparatively light, as compared with the weight of earthy materials, and therefore the saving of freight is a very considerable item; third, the woody granules do not immediately decompose, but remain intact, so as to retain the fertilizing chemicals within their pores, and gradually impart these chemicals to the soil; in explaining this latter advantage to those who are familiar with the art, attention is directed to the fact, that if the full force of the fertilizer is exerted in the incipiency of the plant, said plant or crops grow abnormally while the fertilizer is acting in full force, but as soon as the force and effect of the fertilizer is spent, the plant becomes stunted or dwarfed, for the reason that it has depended upon the fertilizer to the exclusion of the natural elements ofthe soil and atmosphere.

With my improved fertilizer, the plant receives more ofthe fertilizing chemicals in itsincipiency than'at a later period, owing to the fact *that the surface and the contiguous portion of each g'ranulefcontains more of said'fertilizin chemicals, than is contained in the heart 0 the granule, and for the reason that the surface is more accessible to the plant than is the heart; however, since the granules are not immediately decomposed or disintegrated, a constantly decreasing percentage of the fertilizing chemicals will be 

